


After the Rain

by TARDISTraveller42



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Family, Fluff, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-18 00:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18110009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TARDISTraveller42/pseuds/TARDISTraveller42
Summary: When Bill comes into one of her lessons upset about something Moira said, the Doctor makes it his mission to make her happy again. Mix rain and sunshine, and what do you get?





	After the Rain

Something was wrong.

At the beginning of their lesson, he hadn’t been sure. But now there was no denying it; the way Bill’s eyes avoided his even when he said something daft, the very slight curl of her lip that didn’t reach her eyes when she smiled at one of his jokes, how she swallowed and cleared her throat every time she was about to speak.

Bill wasn’t okay. And that meant that the Doctor wasn’t okay.

“Bill?” he said suddenly, breaking out of his own lecture. 

“Yeah?”

She still didn’t dare meet his eye; just stared at the paper she was scribbling notes onto. But the hand resting on the desk clenched into a fist, and her teeth bit into her bottom lip.

“Did something happen?”

She shook her head, too fast and too confident to be honest.

“Please,” he didn’t usually say that word; finally he got her to look up. “Don’t lie to me.”

He rested his chin against folded hands, waiting patiently. She’d tell him eventually.

“I’m fine,” she said, with a fake, chippery smile flashed in his direction. Her eyes were back on her paper within a nanosecond.

Then her pencil scribbles slowed to a stop. 

“Okay,” she sighed. “I just...Moira...it doesn’t matter.”

“It does to you.”

“Oh, now that it’s me you’re fine with doing feelings talk. Why didn’t we do this last week when I found you watching Bambi on my iPad?”

She said it with a smile, but it was forced. Definitely, definitely forced.

She set her pencil down.

“Moira and I were at the shop today because she needed a dress for this thing she’s going to,” Bill started. “And we saw these earrings that had rainbows on them, and...well, she basically said something like, ‘I don’t want to wear a rainbow anymore because then people will think I’m gay’. And then I tried to say, ‘is...that a bad thing?’ and then she got all flustered and defensive...I don’t know.” She sighed again, waving it off dismissively. “It just put me in a funky mood. I don’t know why.”

“No, I get it,” the Doctor said. It was his turn to sigh. “Early 21st century...things will be better soon, I think.”

“Yeah?” Bill asked with a smile. Real, this time, and making her eyes twinkle.

“Yeah.”

Bill grinned to herself for a moment, turning back to her book.

“So this David Hume guy…”

“Ah, yes,” the Doctor continued his lecture. “Nineteenth century Scottish Empiricist. Famous philosopher. Terrible at croquet. Brought out whole team down.”

“Are you Scottish?” Bill asked suddenly.

“Bill, I’m not even human.”

“I know, but...you sound like this bloke I knew from Glasgow. Is there a space Scotland?”

“Bill...of course there’s a space Scotland.”

Thus the night carried on, with many a smile and many a laugh. But the Doctor still hadn’t forgotten that look in Bill’s eye; the sadness and the pain she’d carried in to their lesson.

And he wasn’t going to rest until he did something about it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“I should try to stop you,” Nardole said, with the tired voice of a parent with three kids under five. Only his ‘kids’ were grown; the worst behaved was older than Jesus.

“Try, then. Won’t work,” the Doctor said, flitting around the console like it was a toy at a carnival.

Bill latched onto one of the railings as the TARDIS started its ascent.

“Where are we going?”

“Sir!” Nardole cried suddenly, staring wide-eyed at the screen. “We’re going off Earth! You promised…”

“Whoops; told you she’s temperamental,” the Doctor said. Neither Bill nor Nardole believed him. “Looks like she wants to go just beyond the Milky Way. Not too far out, then.”

Nardole rolled his eyes, but Bill grinned. That made Nardole roll his eyes again.

“Am I the only one who keeps to their oaths around here? Sir, you have a vault to guard. Bill, you probably have an essay to work on...”

“Nardole?” the Doctor called in a pleasant voice.

“Yes?”

“Shut up.”

Nardole huffed, wandering over to the TARDIS doors and crossing his arms.

“One of these days, I’m gonna use my authority to kick your arse.”

“Just try,” the Doctor challenged, without looking up from the console.

Bill stepped in between them, blocking Nardole with a gentle hand.

“Okay, that’s enough. You two are worse than my mate’s little cousins. They’re both three, just so you know.”

Nardole huffed again, but the TARDIS was landing. The Doctor joined them by the door and threw a quick triumphant grin in Nardole’s direction.

“Ready?”

“No,” Nardole muttered. “Where did she even take us?”

The Doctor took hold of both door handles.

“Just wait until you see…”

He pulled both doors open with a flourish, revealing....

Rain. A downpour, it looked like. Dark gray clouds, muddy ground, cool misty air filled with petrichor.

The Doctor stuck his hand out and let the rain wet his fingers.

“It’s safe.”

“What if it hadn’t been?” Nardole wondered aloud. “Honestly, how have you survived this long without me watching you 24/7?”

“Brilliantly; most of the time,” the Doctor said coolly. “Come on; let’s go see what we can find.”

He stepped out into the rain, seeming to take no notice of the rain pelting him from all sides. Bill and Nardole merely stared at him from the safety of the TARDIS doorway.

“Seriously?” Bill asked. “You want to go for a walk in that?”

The Doctor looked at her like she had lost her mind.

“It’s only a little rain. This isn’t a Jane Austen novel; I promise we’ll be fine. One of the safest planets I know.”

He turned and set his hands in his pockets, swaggering off without hesitation. Bill shrugged, and then followed after him with her arms crossed and the hood of her jacket pulled over her head. 

Nardole groaned, stepping out into the mud with a heavy frown.

“I still don’t know why I even let you do this,” he murmured.

“Because secretly you love it,” the Doctor called behind him. 

Nardole’s frown deepened.

“So Doctor,” Bill said, catching up with him. “What’s this planet like; other than rainy?”

“Ooh, brilliant. They have the best comfort food. And the sunsets are amazing. Imagine the sun setting, but in five different directions. It’s because of the atmosphere, and the angle the sunlight comes in…”

Bill took hold of the Doctor’s arm as he spoke, uncaring as to how wet and cold his sleeve already was. He paused for a moment to give her a small smile, and then continued in his scientific explanation.

Nardole followed slowly behind, trying not to get his boots trapped in the mud. 

When they’d walked for twenty minutes in the endlessly pouring rain, Nardole finally spoke up.

“Doctor? Any chance of getting inside soon? My arm’s starting to rust.”

The Doctor glanced back at that, his eyes suddenly soft.

“We’ll try to find shelter soon. Keep your eyes peeled.”

They continued their walk for another ten minutes before Bill suddenly pointed to their left.

“Doctor, look! We can hide out there for a little bit.”

It was a cave, with an enormous front door and dark gray stones to guard against the elements. The trio hurried inside, gratefully sinking to the ground as soon as they were out of the rain. Bill leaned against the stone wall and took her hood down.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be dry again.”

The Doctor winced, and then spoke with a voice quieter than usual, “I thought the rain was going to stop sooner. Sorry.”

Nardole and Bill shared a look, but didn’t say anything. Then Nardole sneezed.

“It’s very cold in here,” he said, looking around the large chamber of the cave. “But it’s better than the rain.”

The Doctor winced again, frowning at himself. Bill leaned on his shoulder as they huddled by the wall to keep warm.

“God, Doctor, you’re freezing,” she murmured as her hand brushed against his.

“Colder body temperature,” he said simply. “I’m always colder than you. You, on the other hand, are freezing.”

He shrugged off his coat and set it around Bill’s shoulders. It was warm, and much dryer on the inside than hers. He smiled, acting like he was glad to give it to her. But then he shivered.

“Doctor…” Bill said, starting to take the coat off.

“Keep it. I dragged you here.” He turned to Nardole. “Can I take a look at your arm?”

Nardole shuffled closer and pulled up his sleeve, letting the Doctor examine the gears in his arm. When one sparked, the Doctor muttered something under his breath and shook his hand out.

“Sir?” 

“Fine,” the Doctor said sternly. “Stupid…”

Nardole and Bill weren’t sure if he were talking to the electronics or himself. Bill leaned in closer to his shoulder and looked out of the cave.

“The rain is lovely.”

The Doctor’s ears perked up at that, the anger in his eyes dissipating a bit.

“It was supposed to clear up by now.” He finished up his work on Nardole’s arm. “Remind me to take a look at that back in my office. I might need to fix the waterproofing.”

Nardole nodded, and rolled his sleeve back down.

The rain seemed to be calming, at least. It didn’t pelt the ground from every angle anymore. Bill smiled at that, closing her eyes as the gentle hum and the warmth of the Doctor’s coat around her shoulders lulled her to sleep.

“Bill! Nardole!”

Bill’s eyes shot open. Had it been a minute, or half an hour? Either way, the rain had stopped, and light was breaking through the trees outside.

She found the Doctor standing by the entrance of the cave. His coat was still draped around her shoulders, and Nardole was waking beside her.

“Quickly!” the Doctor shouted again. He looked like a big kid, a grin spread across his face as he turned toward his friends.

Bill and Nardole hurried to his side, their jaws dropping when they took in the view.

Up above the plain they had trudged so long across was the sky; the expansive, enormous sky. And as the rain was finishing its assault and the sunshine was beaming in, rainbows were reaching across the entire sky.

Five! Five rainbows, by Bill’s count. Entire, fully sized rainbows stretching as far as the eye could see. They climbed over the ocean in front of them; they hid behind the hills to the East; they shone, brightly, just above their heads and behind them and every other way. Reds and greens and purples, turning the planet into a brilliant disco party.

Bill forced her eyes down to the Doctor, whose white shirt was bathed in the multitude of colors. He looked proud, wearing the same smile as he did when she scored an especially good mark on one of her essays. 

“This is why we came here,” she said, finding her voice a bit shaky.

He turned to her and she knew, even if he didn’t say it aloud.

Bill’s arms wrapped around him, accidentally dropping his coat onto the cave floor. He hugged her back, and she suddenly felt safe. Like nothing could reach her; not while he was around. 

“Do you like it?” he asked quietly.

She wiped at her eye and laughed.

“Like it? Doctor, it’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.”

She pulled away so that she could look up at the sky again. 

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“It’s my privilege.”

Nardole appeared then, making the Doctor stiffen in apprehension of what he would say. But Nardole only clapped him on the back, leaving his hand around his shoulder.

“This...was worth bending the rules for,” he said quietly.

The Doctor merely smiled, and the trio stayed staring at the sky until all of the rainbows had faded.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Bill hurried into the Doctor’s office Monday morning with an essay already stapled and ready to submit. As soon as she opened the door, she turned to the door to the left where she knew the Doctor liked to hang out in the day.

“I’m only stopping in for a minute to drop in my essay. I’ve gotta get to work,” she called to the seemingly empty air.

When there was no response, Bill shrugged and set the essay on the corner of the desk. Then she noticed a note sitting beside the Sonic Screwdriver container, and a little pin in the shape of a rainbow. 

“What’s this?” she whispered to herself.

The note read:  
Bill - This is your personal rainbow. No one can take it away or make you feel bad for wearing it, because it is yours alone. Go shine and be brilliant.

Bill wiped at her eyes, holding the note and the pin close to her chest. She swallowed, glancing once more at the door to the left. There still wasn’t a sound behind it; not even the squeak of a badly-concealed guitar. After checking the clock once more and grimacing, Bill swung her backpack off and pinned the rainbow to the front flap. The note she folded, and placed in the deepest and most protected pocket of her jeans.

She was about to rush off to the canteen when the TARDIS door suddenly swung open. The Doctor entered the room, slowing when he noticed Bill was standing there. He shut the door quietly.

“Bill. Hello.”

With a watery smile, Bill hurried around the desk and pulled him into a hug, their second in the past week. He was a bit more awkward this time, caught a bit off-guard, but eventually his hands found her back.

“Thank you, Doctor,” she whispered.

“Like I said...it’s my privilege, Bill.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, then took a breath and pulled away.

“I’ve gotta get to work. 6 O’Clock, yeah?”

“Always,” he replied with a smile.

“Laters.” Bill grabbed her bag, with its new pin shining in the light.

“Laters.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 

“I didn’t realize how extra you were,” Bill said as they settled in for their lesson.

“Extra…” the Doctor repeated, his eyebrows lowering. “Is that better or worse than ‘dumpster fire’?”

Bill chuckled.

“Better.”

He nodded.

“It means you go all out,” she explained. “When you do something, you do it all the way.” 

He nodded again. 

“That’s probably accurate. Once I punched through a diamond wall for four and a half billion years.”

Bill’s jaw dropped, and she was silent for a moment.

“Okay…” she breathed. “We don’t have time to unpack all that.”

Bill shook her head and took out her notebook. "So...physics?" 

"Physics," the Doctor repeated. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Don't hesitate to comment if you liked any bits, or if you'd like to see similar (or dissimilar) stories in the future!


End file.
